


Strays, Thieves, and Happy Ever Afters

by writerdragonfly



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cats, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 02:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5809792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerdragonfly/pseuds/writerdragonfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry Allen has been missing for three days when a stray cat adopts Leonard Snart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strays, Thieves, and Happy Ever Afters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dragdragdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragdragdragon/gifts).



> Because we need more Stray Cat adopts Len fic.

 

Len hasn't been home in three days. 

 

It's not exactly unusual. He's had to go between safe houses before, not staying in one place because there's an inherent danger in it. But he's been fairly safe lately, things have been... quiet. Quiet enough, anyway. 

 

But Len hasn't been home since the Flash disappeared. And he doesn't think any of Barry Allen's friends and family have spent much time at home since then either. 

 

He's exhausted, resolutely ignoring the real reason he'd let himself be dragged into the search for the missing speedster. He's exhausted, and he's getting too damn old to be staying awake for days on end. 

 

Not that he's going to admit that to anyone, especially Lisa. She was enough of a harridan as it was. 

 

He's down to the last three blocks between him and his good bed when he sees it. It's a wiry little thing--probably not long out of kittenhood--all brown fur and green eyes. 

 

And its following him, keeping pace with his steps and rubbing it's tiny body against his boots. He stops for a second, blinking down at the thing because he's not exactly used to attracting strays. 

 

The cat looks up at him and meows, then stares ahead until Len starts moving again. 

 

Eh, stranger things have happened. 

 

He doesn't really think about it, doesn't really make a decision so much as a resignation. The little thing is persistent and Len is tired, so when he reaches his apartment, he just holds the door open a few seconds longer than usual and is only mildly surprised when the cat leaps inside without hesitation. 

 

What he really wants to do is shrug off his jacket and boots and pass out in his bed for a few hours, but instead he pulls out a couple of bowls and fills them with canned tuna and water and sets them on the floor in the kitchen and watches with a little smile as the cat practically inhales the tuna. 

 

And then the little thing is meowing plaintively at him as he throws a couple Hot Pockets in the microwave. It's kind of adorable. 

 

He's so not telling anyone he thought that--Lisa can never know. 

 

"Still hungry?" Len asks, which results in another meow. 

 

He crouches down and pets him, a little pleased as the cat pushes his head into his hand. 

 

Len stands and stretches when the microwave goes off, finally taking his coat off and throwing it over the back of one of his kitchen chairs. He takes his meal out of the microwave and sits down in the empty chair, kicking his feet up on the chair with his coat. His boots were a little muddy, but he couldn’t really find it in himself to care.

 

The cat’s paws were a little muddy too.

 

The cat jumps up onto his lap fairly quickly once Len is settled, staring him down as he picks up his dinner. The little guy waits until Len’s had a few bites before he climbs a little closer and snatches the other end of his Hot Pocket between his pointed teeth just as Len is taking another bite.

 

Len starts laughing--laughing like he hasn’t laughed in ages, like he hasn’t  _ wanted _ to laugh in ages--and lets the cat continue swallowing down the hot sandwich like it’s normal.

 

“Well, at least you’re a cheap date,” He says, and he can almost swear the cat understands him when it looks up at him.

 

The cat meows again, once it’s finished half of Len’s dinner. It’s probably unhealthy, but it’s not like Len really wants it anyway.

 

He offers the second one to the cat too, who pounces on it greedily.

 

-x-

 

The cat follows him from the kitchen to the bedroom, jumping onto the bed while Len toes off his boots and strips down to his boxers. By the time Len is able to slip under his blanket, the cat has finished exploring every corner of Len’s bed and makes his way toward him.

 

The little guy seems almost hesitant as he steps onto him, but eventually makes his way up to the spot where the blanket is low enough that it doesn’t cover Len’s chest, and slowly curls around himself over Len’s bared skin.

 

Len lets himself smile a little, and gently pets the little furball. The cat almost immediately starts purring, a loud vibrating thing. He’s pretty sure he’s  _ never _ heard a cat purr that loud before, certainly not  _ felt  _ it as much.

 

But it’s nice, having a warm cat curled up with him, happily falling asleep.

 

Len finally relaxes fully, not thinking about Barry Allen for the first time in three days.

 

He falls asleep with the cat nuzzling his fingers.

 

-x-

 

When he wakes up a few hours later, the cat is curled up next to his side, still purring. Len gently nudges him out of his way and slide out of the bed. The cat stretches and yawns before following Len into the bathroom. 

 

Once Len’s brushed his teeth and tended to his business, the little brown cat trots after him into the kitchen again. Len upturns another can of tuna into a bowl for him, and then turns to start his own breakfast.

 

The cat eats just as voraciously as he had before, and then he turns to face Len again with a loud meow.

 

“Do you have a bottomless stomach, cat?” Len asks amusedly. The cat just meows again, at which point Len turns back to the stove.

 

By the time his eggs are done, the cat is bolting back and forth across the kitchen at what seems to be impossible speeds. Len stares, completely ignoring his breakfast.

 

The cat stops after a few minutes, and starts meowing at him again and then Len  _ knows _ .

 

He’s not going to be able to keep this cat.

 

“... Barry?” Len asks him, and the cat’s head nods wildly.

 

“Only you, Scarlet,” he mutters, setting his plate down and turning to pick him up instead.

 

The Flash is a  _ cat. _

 

-x-

 

By the time he pulls into STAR Labs, Barry has officially been missing for 96 hours.

 

He walks into the place without hesitation, Barrycat perched on his shoulder like a cartoon parrot and vibrating away with his loud purrs.

 

“Snart--is that a  _ cat _ ?” Cisco Ramon asks when he spots him, and Len lets the smirk spread across his face gladly.

 

“That depends on your definition of cat.”

 

-x-

 

Len goes home sans cat and somewhat regretful that he hadn’t held onto Barrycat longer. It wasn’t because the kid had been turned into a cat, not exactly. 

 

But it had been nice, he supposed, to have a cat to curl up with.

 

-x-

 

Three days later, Len wakes up to someone pounding on his door. When he opens it, Barry Allen is standing there with an embarrassed little smile.

 

“Back to normal, I see,” Len comments with a smirk. The kid blushes, and nods.

 

“I’m sorry I stole your food, and... destroyed your kitchen...” Barry says softly, and that’s when Len sees the tiny brown head pop up out of Barry’s coat.

 

“Why do you have--”

 

“She’s for you,” Barry interrupts, pulling the tiny brown kitten all the way out of his coat with black gloved hands, “if you want her.”

 

-x-

  
The kitten adopts them both.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of the Adventures of Barrycat.
> 
> Barryhuman is still a cheap date. He doesn't adopt Len, but he does still like to wake up with his head on Len's chest.
> 
> Prompted by the lovely [ dragdragdragon. ](http://dragdragdragon.tumblr.com)


End file.
